Dana 60 axle install help
 

I was doing a little work on my C-10 1968 Panel Truck and pulled the rear drums off and found that the axle seals were weeping a little. I unbolted the axle retainer on one side and pulled out the axle. When I did this the axle thrust thingy fell off way down in the axle tube. From doing research this thrust button is used in combination with the adjustable axle retainer to set the runout on the axles.
Question is, how do I put he thrust thing 29" down the axle tube into the ring and pinion carrier into the small hole where it sits? There is supposed to be one button on each side that join in the middle.

My truck is a 68 c10 with a 4 speed and a big block so it has a rare Dana Spicer Powerloc diff. I have both the shop manual and the overhaul manual and neither covers this in any detail. I do know that this is a really heavy duty diff and was also used in Hemi powered musclecars, Ford trucks and others but I can't find any info on how it goes back together after doing a simple job like a axle grease seal. I'll put some pics below. This is the trust button , flat side touches the end if the axle. The roll pin goes into the carrier and I'm guessing that the roll pin connects both thrust buttons together.

Re: Dana 60 axle install help
 

I tried to take a pic down the axle tube to show where the button goes:

Re: Dana 60 axle install help
 

Any ideas on how to put the pin all the way down the axle tube and then install the axle behind it? I'm seriously thinking about Crazy Gluing the button to the axle and slide it in. My hunch is that when it was assembled at the factory before the carrier was put into the case, the two buttons were held in place by the roll pin between them. 50+ years of wear and tear and the roll pin no longer fits tight in the hole so it can't keep the two buttons together in place.

Re: Dana 60 axle install help
 

Maybe you could put a little grease between the two parts and hope it sticks together all the way in?

If you pull the rear cover off, can you see the spot in question?

I haven't worked on one of these axles before, so I'm just guessing here

Re: Dana 60 axle install help
 

I think I figured out how I can put the axle back in without taking the carrier out. I tried this out last night to see if it would work. I cleaned up the splined end of the axle where the thrust button would contact once the axle is in place. I cleaned it up with brake cleaner and glued the button to it with gel Gorilla glue (Krazy glue). I waited about an hour to set up and slid the axle in place. It went all the way in but needed a few taps to seat it in place, probably because the roll pin was a little snug sliding in to the button on the opposite axle. It worked!
This is all just a test because I'm waiting on axle seals and will have to do this again once I get the parts. I disassembled the axle again and sure enough the button was still glued the the end of the axle.

I did pull the cover off and you can't see the parts because they are hidden in the center of the carrier. I'll add a few pics of a similar setup. The cross shafts fit together and form a + Where the cross shafts meet, there is a hole drilled where the two thrust buttons fit end to end held together with a roll pin. The face of each button touches the axle shaft inserted into the carrier. The end play is adjusted by tightening or loosening an adjuster on the right side brake backing plate/axle end flange. The end play is adjusted and locked down with a clamp. Since the axles touch in the middle through the thrust buttons, both axles endplay is adjusted at the same time.

What I think happened was that after 50+ years the roll pin connecting the two buttons together loosened up and when I pulled the axle out the button fell out too. I think when the carrier was originally put together on a bench the roll pin was tight and held the buttons in place. Once the axles are in place there is no where for the buttons to move. I think in my case the Krazy glue will eventually give out but the axle will be all together and won't be a problem.